Over 60 pro-Palestine protestors arrested in illegal rally inside US Capitol

More than 60 pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested after staging an anti-Israel protest inside the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC.

Dozens of protesters entered the historic US Capitol Building on Tuesday afternoon while pretending to be tourists and then called for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

They held banners that read, ‘The people choose life. Ceasefire now!’ and ‘Stop funding violence against our communities’. Some protestors held individual signs that stated, ‘Protect immigrants and asylees’.

Demonstrators also placed kids’ shoes across the floor to represent the lives of Palestinians killed since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7. Thousands of Palestinians and Israelis have died since then.

Standing by paintings and statues of American political figures, the protestors called on Congress to reject President Joe Biden’s $110billion aid package that would include funding for Israel. Led by controversial political activist Linda Sarsour, they branded it a ‘deadly deal’.

The United States Capitol Police said they were ‘aware of a group’s potential plan to take a tour of the US Capitol Building and then start a protest’.

‘It is against the law to demonstrate inside the Congressional Buildings, so we brought in additional officers to be prepared for the moment the group would break the law,’ stated USCP.

‘The group was screened when they entered the building. Once they broke the law, roughly 60 people were immediately arrested for D.C. Code § 22–1307 – Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding.’ 

Tuesday’s illegal protest inside the rotunda promoted some conservatives to draw comparisons to the January 6 Capitol riot when former President Donald Trump’s fans stormed the building to try to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s election win.

‘Linda Sarsour and her band of anti-semites are now insurrecting the Capitol,’ stated a X (formerly Twitter) account run by commentator Rogan O’Handley. ‘Will the DOJ lock them all up and throw them in the DC Gulag like J6ers? Or do we not have equal justice in this country?’

Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump supporter, wrote on X: ‘Insurrection happening now in the Capital!! … Arrest them all and throw them in the DC gulag in solitary confinement just like J6’ers!’

Any charges against the protesters were not immediately announced by the US Attorney’s Office.

The demonstration inside the rotunda happened less than a month after pro-Palestine activists briefly disrupted a Thanksgiving parade and Black Friday shopping in New York City.

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